67 



far as tlie writci- knows, this i'raud has never hvon innhM'takcn 

 in this country. In purehasiniit; clover seed, then, it seems 

 necessaiy only to use care to obtain that which is free from 

 admixture with weed seeds, and which shows good germina- 

 tion. Among the weed seeds most likely to be found mixed 

 with clover seeds arc dock and sorrel. These can easily be 

 recognized. There is occasionally a sample of clover seed con- 

 taining the seeds of dodder, — a thread-like parasite, which 

 attaches itself to the stems of the clover plants. Where this 

 is abundant the crop is practicallj^ ruined. The stems of the 

 dodder straggling from stem to stem nnite the different plants 

 so that they cannot be separated ; it therefore becomes almost 

 impossible to handle and cnre the hay. The presence of dod- 

 der, moreover, renders the hay very nnpalatable. The seed 

 of the dodder is excessively fine, and in cases where its 

 presence is suspected a sam})le of the seed should be sent to 

 the experiment station for identification. 



Curing the Hay. 



The first point to be considered in connection with this 

 topic is the proper degree of maturity. Clover is often 

 allowed to stand too late. If it be suffered to remain until 

 a considerable proportion of the heads are brown and the seed 

 ripe, there will be but little rowen, while there is much 

 danger that the roots of the clover will die after the crop is 

 cut. Eelatively early cutting, then, — before many of the 

 heads are brown, — is desirable, both because a better row^en 

 crop will be secured and because the clover will persist in 

 the mowing longer. 



Good weather is essential for the satisfactory making of 

 clover hay, as it is, indeed, for the satisfactory making of 

 any hay; but it is far more important in the case of the 

 clovers than for timothy, on account of the fact that the 

 clovers need much more drying. The best hour in the day 

 for cutting, as it appears to me, is late in the afternoon. 

 Whatever the hour, it is essential to keep in mind the fact 

 that in the curing of clover hay it should be handled but 

 little after it begins to dry. It is generally well understood 



